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Nora Dixon > Helliwell > McKay 1917 - 2014

Nora was born in 10 June 1917 at Dronfield Road, Coventry. She attended school in Enfield. During World War Two she met and married William (Bill) Helliewell in Oxfordshire in autumn 1941.

 

William Helliwell,

 

William Helliwell was the son of William and Margaret Helliwell.

Nora and Bill were married in Oxfordshire in autumn 1941. Bill was a flight sergeant in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve and serving as a fight engineer with 7 Squadron of Bomber Command His service no 940014. He died 20 May 1942 aged 22 years. He was flying in a short stirling I serial no W7520 with the markings MG-S. The records state that the aeroplane off 22:58 on 19 May 1942 from Oakington heading on a bombing mission to Mannheim in Germany. The plane collided in the air with a Me110 night-fighter over Brustem. Both crews were killed. The crew of the Stirling were first buried at the airfield at St Trond, but were later reinterred at Heverlee in Belgium.

 

He was shot down and is buried at Heverlee War Cemetery ; grave reference Coll. grave 3. C. 13-16.

The Short Stirling was a British four-engined heavy bomber of the Second World War. It has the distinction of being the first four-engined bomber to be introduced into service with the RAF. On 1 August 1940 No 7 Squadron reformed, becoming the first squadron to equip with the new Short Stirling heavy bomber. The squadron flew the first bombing raids with the aircraft against oil storage tanks near Rotterdam on the night of 10/11 February 1941.  It flew on the 1000 bomber raids to Cologne, Essen and Bremen in May and June 1942.

 

She and bill had a son called William Helliwell born 18th of June 1942. Bil wUnfortunately, Bll fell prey to the German guns and died in 20 May 1942.

In 1939 she was living at home at 6 Southcliffe Park, Clacton. and working as a nurse

 

During the war, Nora, who had trained as a nurse looked after wounded serviceman. Nora died 10 May 2014.

 

After the war Nora met and married Walter McKay in the summer of 1945 in Clacton. Wally, as he was called, had previously been married Esther Cahill, but she too had died in the war. Esther was born 15 Sep 1915  at Birr, Offaly in Ireland.   It is not known how she met Wally, but after they were married they lived at 10 St Andrews Road, Clacton-on-Sea. It was there that she died 21 Jun 1944.

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